Arcadia Bohemia Chardonnay 2016
We took a lazy stroll through our imagination and arrived at a deliriously happy place. The air smelled sweet, the sun felt warm, there was a harmony of good tunes, familiar faces, laughter. We wished for a wine to embody this visceral indulgence, one that promised pure escapism.
Profile
We looked to our co-conspirator and chardonnay dreamweaver, Barney Flanders. And my, what a fantasy elixir he has created.
Welcome to Arcadia Bohemia.
What is the collaboration series?
This range is all about celebrating and collaborating with the folk who get their hands dirty. The brightest and most passionate wine lovers out there - the winemakers. These are the people who are on site, vintage in and vintage out, turning grapes into magic.
And in working with Australia’s most talented winemakers, we are humbled to help see a wine come to life, from seedling to screwcap and everything in between. We’re talking honest and epic vino, from the best in the business. In Arcadia’s case, Barney Flanders...
Made by Barney Flanders
Let us introduce the man, the myth, the Mornington Peninsula legend – Barney Flanders. Without question one of the best young winemakers in Australia, everything he touches turns to vinous gold, and his chardy is the trophy on top of the pedestal.
Not only that, but he’s humble, talented, and we couldn’t be more stoked to have his stamp on this latest Collaboration wine.
The Process
Okay, let’s talk nitty gritty winemaking details. Hand-picked and hand-sorted from the Lindenderry Vineyard in Red Hill, all fruit for this vino is the P58 clone. In the cool of morning it was gently whole bunch pressed, then the beautifully cloudy juice was transferred to a mix of old and new puncheons. Here, it was left to ferment using indigenous yeasts.
Flanders then oversaw an ambient barrel fermentation over 35 days, before the wine was left on ferment lees to barrel for just under a year. Barney is a big time believer in keeping intervention super minimal, he’s all about letting the grapes do the talking. He’s just a humble servant. The result? A wholesome, clean and incredible chardonnay.
The Wine
Surrender, and be lead gently by the hand to your flavour nirvana. The dream starts with vibrant citrus and grapefruit notes, with lashings of pear and pineapple. Immerse in this utopia one sip at a time and be revived by invigorating acidity and textural complexity. Step into a pure heavenly garden of 100% hand-picked Mornington Peninsula fruit.
Grown on 24-year-old vines at up to 220 metres above sea level, Arcadia is at once subtle and complex. A wild Mornington delight, this chardonnay unashamedly revels in its own citrus zest, celebrates the stone fruit and adores a good helping of grapefruit. With tickles of clove and macadamia nut oak, it’s about time you stepped into this heavenly garden.
It’s cool, we get it, you want to know absolutely everything about this wine. Well here you go, go nuts.
Specs
- Region
- Mornington Peninsula
- Vintage
- 2016
- Cellaring
- Now
- Preservatives
- Sulphites
- Alcohol by Vol.
- 13.5%
- Closure
- Screwcap
- Bottle Vol
- 750mL
- Blend Info
- 100% Chardonnay
- Serving Temp.
- 12.0°C
Producer
Vinomofo
Vinomofo’s Collaboration Series wines are all about celebrating hand-picked makers. In working with the most talented winemakers, we’re always humbled to see a wine come to life, from the seedling of an idea to screwcap and everything in between. These bespoke projects let us to get our dream wines to you at the right price, using the strength of our relationships and the buying power of you, our tribe of good wine-loving mofos.
Region
Mornington Peninsula
The Mornington Peninsula is one of those places you dream of retiring - once you've made a cool $10m to get you into the Red Hill club. The sublime mix of temperate climate, expansive views, lush hills and pristine beaches is something not many would turn their nose up at. You can rest assured that every winery here has all the money they need, and although the wines may be relatively expensive, they're made as close to idealistic aspirations as possible. It's hard to find a bad wine. The usual cool climate suspects are the mainstay here (Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Riesling) and they range from ethereal to weighty. Whichever end of the spectrum, they're all class.
The rules are there ain’t no rules, but here are some foods we think will work pretty well with this wine...
Goes with
Pasta primavera
Ingredients
- 50g/2oz unsalted butter
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 200g/7oz asparagus, blanched, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 150g/5oz fresh peas, podded
- 100g/3½oz frozen soya beans, defrosted
- 100g/3½oz baby spinach
- 450g/1lb cooked tagliolini or tagliatelle (a few tablespoons of cooking water reserved)
- 1 lemon, juice and zest
- large handful fresh spring herbs, including mint, basil, dill and parsley, chopped
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- To serve
- 25g/1oz hazelnuts, toasted and lightly crushed
- parmesan shavings, or similar vegetarian hard cheese shavings
- olive oil, for drizzling
Directions
- Heat the butter in a pan, add the garlic and fry for one minute.
- Add the asparagus, peas, soya beans and spinach and stir fry for 1-2 minutes, until the spinach has wilted slightly.
- Add the pasta and a little of the cooking water to the pan and stir to combine.
- Stir in the lemon juice and zest and the herbs and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- To serve, divide the pasta among four bowls, sprinkle over the hazelnuts and parmesan shavings and drizzle with olive oil.
The wines we remember are about the moments. The people, the places. That’s life. Here are some ideas...